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The Hedgelands
Population: 32,000 (60% Humans, 20% Halflings, 10% Half-Elves, 5% Elves, 5% Dwarves) Government: Council Religions: Silvanus, Lathander Imports: None Exports: Fruits, Vegetables, Grain, Timber Alignment: All Life and Society The Hedgelands are a confederation of settlements within the broad forest vales and rolling pastoral farmland of the region. Each settlement is loosely connected to the other though roads and alliances, but every village, town, thorpe and hamlet is fiercely “nationalistic”. Residents of every location feels that their particular home is the best, of all of the settlements in the Hedgelands. By and large, the people of the Hedgelands are peasant farmers, content to spend their days working hard on the fields, and spend their nights spending time with friends and family enjoying life. There is very little class striation, both between different settlements, and residents of the same settlements. The Hedgelands are one of the few nations on the continent that does not have any kind of bourgeois. Even those who have political power and influence are simple farmers. Hedgelanders are known to take things slowly. Rather than allow life to pass them by, most take the time to enjoy the subtle things in life. Most prefer their laid-back way of living to the hustle and bustle of urban cities. The inverse is true, too- most who are used to the hustle and bustle of urban centers do not appreciate Hedgelanders’ slower pace of life. Many mistake this for a general lack of intelligence, on the part of the Hedgelanders. Most Hedgelanders are, to a degree, racist. They are comfortable around Halflings, Elves, and Dwarves, and, to a lesser degree, Gnomes, because these races can be found living in the Hedgelands, and in some places, in a very large volume. Because most Hedgelanders are simple peasant farmers who come from a somewhat conservative stock, things that they are not used to makes them suspicious and somewhat frightened, to a degree. For their part, though, most Hedgelanders don’t particularly care how this makes them look in the great scheme of life. The Hedgelanders, though unified by one national government, are far from a homogenous group. The settlements in the north, that were once territory belonging to or in the sphere of influence of Castle Blaze and/or Altathair have a lot more in common with the people of those respective nations than people from southern settlements, where people are a lot more similar to those from Parlera. Major Organizations The Hedge Council Major Geographical Features The Hedgelands are roughly located in the center of the Central Continent, the breadbasket of the landmass. The area is primarily rolling, pastoral hills and flatlands, which have very fertile soil, making farming pursuits quite easy. The region also has mild weather that is conducive to farming. To the southwest of the Hedgelands are the Black Root Mountains, to her direct west, the Forest of Cratsfar, and to her northwest, Castle Blaze, the Twin-Peaks, and the Thracian Peninsula. To the southeast of the Hedgelands is the Great Forest, to her direct east, the Troll Fens, and to her northeast, Altathair and the Giantsbluff Mountains. Within the Hedgelands themselves is Lake Ashenford. Important Sites Axehedge Bluehedge Dragonhedge Falconhedge Featherhedge Grayhedge Lakehedge Moonhedge Northhedge Rosehedge Silverhedge Southhedge Witchhedge Regional History The Hedgelands do not have a very formal history until somewhat recently. They were first settled in two successive migrations of Humans, one of Tintan Humans from the north, who traveled south into the Hedgelands, and one of Filantan Humans from the south, who traveled north into the Hedgelands. The rise of the Hedgelands into an organized nation-state occurred in reaction to the rise of both Altathair to its northeast and Parlera to its southwest. As both nations grew and matured into powerful international players, their demand for goods produced by the farming communities of the Hedgelands grew. This, in turn, prompted the farming communities to ban together, to better control crop prices, crop distribution, supply and demand, and for mutual security. In -1,155, the ten largest indigenous wandering Human tribes joined under the banner of Altathair, to protect themselves better against the Dragons of the north. This effectively triples the amount of territory Altathair has to call her own, and includes the northern reaches of what would become the Hedgelands. Years later, the war between the newly independent Castle Blaze and Altathair would primarily take place in what would become the Hedgelands. Many veterans of the war, on both sides, would settle down in the area, in fact, giving the northern settlements that identities that they have to the present. In the south, the various settlements that began appearing evolved organically. Neither the closest nations- the Dwarven kingdom of Tanthalthud, and the Human kingdom of Parlera- colonized the area. Though both exhibited influence over the goings-ons in the area, neither exerted any kind of control over it. The southern settlements of the Hedgelands were primarily dependent on these nearby nations, however, for trade. As a result, both Tanthalthud and Parlera dictated, to some degree, many policies in these southern settlements. The movement that gave birth to the Hedgelands as a formal entity began in the northern settlements in the year 820. King Lanspoor of Altathair, in the wake of the Nagawar, a war fought because of trade and economics, sought to prevent damage from being ever being done to the economy of his nation again, and authorized contingents of soldiers from the army of Altathair to accompany traders moving foodstuffs from the various settlements to the west of the kingdom. In response, the villagers to the west believed they are being colonized, and agreed to various treaties amongst each other, which give birth to the Hedgelands. A year later, a rogue militia unit in Falcongedge attacked a group of Altathairian soldiers, killing them all. This prompted King Lanspoor to declare war on the newly unified Hedgelands, beginning the Hedge War, a conflict that began because of misunderstandings on the intentions of both Altathair and the Hedgelands. Actual armed conflict during the Hedge War was minimal, as agreements to cease combat were reached fairly quickly, as neither nation wanted to engage in a prolonged war with the other. Diplomacy would be long and drawn out for the next three years, however. A key point that King Lanspoor and his negotiators want as a key to peace is that Westhedge, the Hedge settlement closest to Altathair, be allowed to be annexed into the kingdom. At first, the Hedgelanders adamantly refused. By 825, they agreed, however, on the basis that they be given lucrative trading contracts with Altathair, and be given a guarantee that the Altathairian army would defend the Hedgelands from Castle Blaze, if the city-state ever tried to annex any of the Hedge settlements. Following the Hedge War, other settlements further south began unifying, as a means to fend off Tanthalthud and/or Parlera, if either nation attempted to make a power play like Altathair had. The northern settlements joined with the southern settlements in order to strengthen them and themselves, and the Hedgelands were formally born.